


This is the life

by quiet_ghost



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actor Shiro (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Musician Keith (Voltron), Oral Sex, Paparazzi, Penis In Vagina Sex, Pregnancy, Pregnant Keith (Voltron), Pregnant Sex, Secret Relationship, Trans Keith (Voltron), a tiny bit of angst, soft sheith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:22:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21609751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet_ghost/pseuds/quiet_ghost
Summary: Keith and Shiro are young and in love with their first child on the way. Shiro's acting career is really starting to take off and Keith's band is starting to gain recognition. Their lives couldn't get any better. The only problem? Outside of their friends and family, nobody knows Keith and Shiro are together, let alone expecting a child. And as far as they're concerned, that's perfectly fine.If only things could stay that simple...
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

For someone who was almost seven months pregnant, Keith was awfully agile.

“You'll never catch me!” he laughed as he slipped his shoes on and dashed out the door, followed by his beloved dog, Cosmo.

Shiro grinned, pushing himself off the hotel bed where Keith had pinned him just a moment earlier, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. God, he loved that man with all his heart.

Shiro was rehearsing his lines for his latest project – an intergalactic action flick that had sounded great when his agent had mentioned it, and looked even better the further he got in the script.

Coran, his agent, had assured him it was going to be the blockbuster of the summer, that everyone was going to love it. Shiro… wasn’t so sure. Coran was good, very good, but a bit over-enthusiastic. Still, he could only hope Coran was right. After years with Sendak as his agent and little more to show for it than a short series of odd dark indie movies that had left him feeling uncomfortable and dirty, and a horrible accident that had left him with a metal arm (which, admittedly, and with enough distance from the traumatic experience, looked pretty cool) and years of nightmares (less cool, not cool at all in fact), he was more than ready for his big break. He was on the verge, he could tell, he could _feel_ it. They kept on asking him to audition for bigger and better projects, and his success at the box office kept growing. It was only a matter of time, he told himself. It was really happening.

This time, he’d been given the main role, that of an astronaut on an exploration mission abducted by a dangerous race of aliens and forced to fight in their version of the Ancient Roman circus. As he fought to stay alive, he also strove to escape and return to Earth to warn the authorities of the threat that was closing in on them and, more importantly to his character, _finally_ return home to be with his fiancé and their young adopted son.

Keith had just finished pulling on his black jeans, one of the many pairs of maternity pants Shiro had bought him despite his protests (Keith was, to put it mildly, thrifty and hated spending money on himself), pulling the soft, stretchy material over his baby bump, smoothing a palm over the gentle curve.

At any other time, Shiro would have been transfixed by the sight, but in that moment, he was almost completely focused on the role. He was due to start filming in just over two weeks, not long after the end of their last-minute get away. Part of him was still unwilling to be apart from Keith for so long so close to his due date, and he’d been so close to calling the whole project off. But Keith had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he'd be fine on his own.

_“I’ll be fine, Shiro,”_ he'd said when Shiro had brought it up. _“I’m not going to let you throw away all your hard work just to be with me. And I’ll kick your ass if you try. We’ll still have plenty of time when you come home.”_

It hadn't quite assuaged Shiro’s concerns, but then, he couldn't help but worry where Keith was concerned. So as the filming date drew closer, he spent more and more time finishing learning his lines, getting into his character's skin. He’d reached the part in the script where his character had just barely managed to escape the cell where he was held between fights, only for a patrol to notice, running for his life, desperate to find a ship, _anything_ , desperate to finally be free, desperate to finally be reunited with his small family after so long. It was like Shiro was _there_ , feeling the same rush of emotions as the young man he was portraying, imagining how he would do absolutely _anything_ to be free of that kind of hell, to be reunited with Keith and their baby.

Shiro quickly pulled on a faded T-shirt and his jogging pants. Of course Keith would pull something like this and take advantage of the fact that he wasn’t dressed, he thought fondly. To the outside world, Keith might seem cold or distant. In fact, it wasn’t even a question of “might” – most people saw Keith like that. But Shiro knew better, had always known better. Once he felt comfortable with someone, once Keith let them see his true colors – trusted them enough to do so – his reserve, that many interpreted as coldness, melted away like snow in the early spring sun, and his naturally playful, warm, loving nature would blossom. Shiro was so, _so_ glad Keith had let him in, trusted him enough to be himself around him. Trusted him enough to love him.

He then grabbed the card key, noticing that Keith had found time to grab the other one in his hasty escape. At least that way, he could let himself back in if it all became too much for him. He tired a lot faster these days, even though he still worked out lightly, and the weight of their baby growing in him frequently caused him pain in his lower back. It was still something Keith forgot in the heat of the moment, unused to the new limits on his body.

He hesitated at the door for a fraction of a second. Maybe he should grab his shades and snapback, to avoid running the risk of people recognizing him and maybe even taking sneaky pictures. It wasn’t so much that he was worried for himself (though that was one of his biggest issues with his growing fame), but Keith absolutely hated attention, especially now that he was very visibly pregnant. It wasn’t something he ever said out loud, but Shiro could tell.

Nah, he decided as he opened the door. He and Keith were taking a break – probably their last for a very long time now – in a smallish town off the Atlantic coast of France, away from the noise and crowds of bigger cities. It was less about visiting somewhere new, and more about spending time together, away from the world’s prying eyes. Nobody would recognize him here, he thought. He wasn’t that popular, not yet. He’d be fine. And he didn’t want to spend a single moment more without Keith.

By the time he made it outside, after waiting what felt like _forever_ for the small, cramped elevator, Keith was nowhere to be seen. Still, Shiro grinned. He knew _exactly_ where Keith was headed.

Their hotel was a short walk from the beach and at this time of the day, the sunset would be absolutely breathtaking. Plus Keith wouldn’t need to worry about putting Cosmo on a leash since there probably wouldn’t be anyone around. Not at this time of day, at least.

It wasn’t long before Shiro noticed Keith standing a careful distance from the water, one hand rubbing his swollen belly, as he seemed to murmur something to their unborn child, the setting sun painting fire and gold across his features as he looked out into infinity, and Shiro felt his chest grow tight for a moment. He looked absolutely _beautiful_ and Shiro wanted nothing more than to just pull him tight and never let him go.

Cosmo was the first to react to his arrival, bounding up to him so fast it was like he’d teleported, his tail wagging excitedly. Shiro kneeled down and patted his head.

“Hey, Cosmo,” he said, as the excitable dog jumped up at him like Shiro had been gone for weeks, not minutes. “Who’s a good boy?”

Shiro laughed as Cosmo kept affectionately jumping at him as Shiro tried to pet him while keeping his balance. It was simply impossible for him to resist. Shiro was a dog person through and through to begin with, and Cosmo was simply the most lovable of dogs. It was really a good thing that things had worked out with Keith, he thought jokingly.

When Shiro looked up, Keith was looking at him, warm and fond.

“Hey,” Keith simply said when their eyes met.

Shiro stood up straight and opened his arms. Keith rolled his eyes but smiled and went willingly, letting Shiro pull him into a tight hug, made only slightly awkward by his baby bump.

“Gotcha!” he murmured, and he could almost feel Keith roll his eyes.

“Yes, because that was so difficult,” he scoffed.

“I know,” Shiro joked. “You’re a terrible protagonist, falling into the arms of the enemy just like that.”

“Shut up. Maybe if you weren’t so dashingly handsome and my hormones weren’t going crazy, it’d be easier for me to resist you.”

“Awww babe, you think I’m dashingly handsome!”

“I also said that my hormones are going crazy, so you should consider yourself lucky.”

“I’m incredibly lucky,” Shiro agreed, pulling Keith closer and kissing the crown of his head. “I’m so lucky that you’re mine, that we have an adorable dog, and that we’re having a baby together. You’re amazing, Keith. I’m so lucky you want me.”

Keith sighed happily. “You’re such a sap, Shiro,” he said, cuddling in closer, not a hint of disapproval in his voice.

“You love it though,” Shiro replied.

“I love _you_ ,” Keith murmured.

“I love you too, baby,” Shiro murmured in return.

Keith pulled back slightly, angling his head upwards for a kiss, the sweetest smile tugging at his lips. Shiro leaned forward to meet him, delving into a warm, gentle kiss as the sun set before them and a cool sea breeze ruffled their hair. 

They kissed for long minutes, unconcerned and unhurried. Shiro could have kissed Keith all evening, but Keith pulled back, drawing in a sharp breath.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, still a little dazed from the kiss, but also concerned that something was wrong with Keith. Maybe he worried too much, but there were so many things that could go wrong during pregnancy that he didn’t want to take any risks, not where Keith and their child, whom he already loved more than he'd ever thought possible, were concerned.

Keith looked up at him and smiled, half-pained, half-happy.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Just the baby playing football with my organs. As usual. And my back hurts. Same old.”

“Oh?” Shiro asked, not knowing what to say but relieved that nothing was seriously wrong. It was always a bit difficult for him in moments like these, where the discomfort that Keith was enduring from carrying their child became apparent and there was nothing he could do to relieve him of it.

Keith was much more open than he’d been when they’d first met – which wasn’t exactly difficult, since getting anything out of Keith back then had been like pulling teeth. But even now, he still hid his pain, not wanting to bother Shiro, or so he believed. Shiro, of course, wanted nothing more than for Keith to feel like he could share anything and everything with him. Even if he couldn’t do anything to help, he wanted to know. He didn’t want Keith to feel alone, not after all the crap life had put him through. _Especially_ not when he was carrying Shiro’s baby. There was no way he was going to let Keith go through nine months of pregnancy on his own, not when he could… If not help, at least _be there_ whenever Keith needed him. It was the least he could do as the other parent-to-be, at least that was the way he felt. He hoped Keith knew that.

“Wanna head back?” he asked. “If we’re lucky, they might have something on TV that isn’t complete trash. And I think there’s some strawberry tart left?”

Shiro knew for a fact there was some left, he'd made sure to buy extra so that Keith had something to snack on. But Keith didn’t need to know that.

Keith nodded. “Sounds good. I could eat.”

Shiro wrapped an arm around Keith’s slender shoulders, pulling him close, while Keith tangled their fingers together and wrapped his other arm around Shiro’s waist. Shiro smiled and pressed a kiss to the crown of Keith’s head. Keith leaned into it briefly, letting out a small huff of laughter. It was ridiculous just how in love he was, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. They slowly made their way back to the hotel, completely unaware of anything other than each other, Cosmo bounding ahead of them.

Back in their small suite, Shiro went to the kitchen while Keith put Cosmo to bed. He'd just pulled the box from the bakery out of the fridge when he felt Keith catch his hand in his and pull him closer.

“Keith?”

Keith didn’t answer, just reached out with his other hand, resting it on the back of Shiro’s head to pull him into a deep, slow kiss, before slowly trailing down his neck, down his chest, leaving quickly fading warmth in its wake.

Shiro grabbed his hand gently but firmly, impeding its progress further downwards.

“Shiro,” Keith whined, barely breaking the kiss.

“I thought you were hungry,” Shiro said. After all, he was eating for two now, and he always seemed to be snacking on something or other.

“I’ll show you hungry,” Keith almost growled in a low voice that definitely didn’t leave Shiro unaffected.

“Keith–” Shiro started but Keith just leaned back in and kissed him again to quiet his protests.

It didn’t take long for Shiro to give in – after all, the tart would still be there later. He leaned further into the kiss, his hands going to rest on Keith’s waist sliding under his shirt, under the soft fabric of his pants, his thumbs gently rubbing the warm skin there. Keith hummed happily and wrapped his arms around his neck, holding him as close as possible as they kissed hungrily.

One of the biggest positives to come out of Keith’s unplanned pregnancy (other than the five pregnancy tests they took when they first suspected there might be something more to Keith's symptoms) was that, after the first few months of morning sickness, tiredness, and just overall not-feeling-well-ness, Keith’s libido had emerged from hibernation stronger than ever. In fact, it was hard for Shiro to keep up at times, an annoying reminder of their small but not insignificant age difference.

Now was not one of those times, fortunately.

In between kisses, Keith pulled Shiro’s T-shirt over his head then helped Shiro pull his own shirt off as they both blindly stumbled the short way to their small bedroom. Keith’s skin was soft and warm under Shiro’s roaming fingers, and all he could think was how he could never get enough of this feeling.

Shiro broke the kiss, heart clenching briefly at the sound of Keith’s breathy moan of disappointment. But before Keith could say anything, Shiro leaned in, nuzzling the warmth of Keith’s neck before pressing little teasing kisses there. It wasn’t easy with Keith’s bump between them, but Shiro didn’t care. And he had plenty of practice now. His fingers clenched on Keith’s hips, trying to pull him even closer, desperate for more. Keith was absolutely irresistible; he drove him absolutely crazy and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He could feel Keith’s hands rubbing up and down his back, his nails gently digging into his skin, could hear his soft moans, and wanted more, so much more.

“Shiro,” Keith murmured, one hand coming to bury itself in Shiro’s short hair. He pulled gently and Shiro groaned. Fuck, it felt so good.

He nipped at the skin at the junction between neck and shoulder, savoring the full-body shiver he felt course through Keith’s body. In response, Keith pushed at his chest gently, pushing him back until he could claim Shiro’s lips with his own once more, but not before biting his lower lip. Probably retaliation, the competitive brat, Shiro thought giddily.

As they kissed hot and messy, Keith started pushing at Shiro’s jogging pants, trying to remove them. Without even breaking the kiss, his pants and boxers pooled at his feet and Shiro stepped out of them. He felt Keith’s hand wrap around his half-hard cock and squeeze none-too-gently, just the way Shiro liked it in moments like these.

“Fuck, Keith,” Shiro moaned, already a bit breathless. “I want–”

“Shhh,” Keith murmured, his lips brushing against Shiro’s as he spoke. “I know. I got you.”

Keith gently pushed him towards their bed as they kissed, letting Shiro sit on the edge. As he watched, Keith pulled his pants off in one smooth movement, slowly revealing his body to Shiro’s hungry eyes, a true feat of agility and grace this far along in his pregnancy. His breath caught in his throat. _Fuck_. It didn’t matter how many times he saw him like this, naked, pale skin flushed with arousal, growing heavy with their child, Keith looked fucking amazing. He had a warm glow to his skin and pregnancy had filled his lithe form out nicely, softening the hard lines of his face and body, and Shiro found him irresistible. More so than usual, and that was saying a lot, because Keith was always irresistible to him.

Keith blushed at the close scrutiny, frowning and averting his eyes briefly, and Shiro reached out to grab his hand. He knew that Keith had grown a bit self-conscious of his body, of the way pregnancy had changed it so much in so little time. He knew that overall, Keith loved being pregnant, loved having a baby bump, and that most of the time, his dysphoria stayed at bay, almost certainly toned down by all the hormones coursing through his body. And Shiro was _glad_ , the last thing he wanted was for Keith to suffer through the nine months of his pregnancy. He also knew that there were days where it was hard for him to see past the weight gain, the stretch marks, the way his body looked so _different_ compared to not so long ago.

“Hey,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand.

“Hey.”

“You’re beautiful, baby,” Shiro said, glancing up to look Keith straight in the eyes. Maybe Keith was having a bad day, maybe he wasn’t. Either way, there was no reason for him not to compliment Keith, especially since he was so much more receptive to them when they were intimate.

Shiro pulled him closer, between his parted thighs so he could place his hands on Keith’s waist and press small kisses to his round belly. Keith stilled for a moment before leaning further into the embrace, one hand coming to rest on Shiro’s cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Shiro murmured softly between kisses. He loved Keith’s belly, loved pressing his hand or cheek to it in hopes of catching a flutter of movement, loved pressing kisses to the warm, taut skin, knowing that he was the reason the soft curve was growing there. He really did have the cutest little belly (not so little anymore, in fact, he couldn’t help but think with a barely suppressed shudder of pleasure). He couldn’t get enough of it and he knew he would miss it a bit after Keith had given birth. “Always have been, always will be. There is nothing in this universe that will change that for me.”

“Shiro,” Keith groaned quietly, drawing out the final ‘o’.

For a moment, their eyes met, and it made Shiro feel all warm all over. God, he was head over heels for this amazing, _perfect_ man, how could he have been so lucky?

The moment didn’t last, and Keith, clearly more than ready to get down to business, kneeled down before him, settling between his spread thighs, before leaning in to lick up Shiro’s hard cock, one hand wrapped around the base, the other holding Shiro’s hips still as he went down on him.

“Oh fuck, Keith,” Shiro moaned as Keith wrapped his lips around the head and sucked, light and teasing.

Keith didn’t waste a single moment, his head bobbing up and down, swallowing down Shiro’s cock as far as he could manage. And it was good, so fucking good, Shiro thought, his head thrown back in pleasure.

Keith didn’t often give head, but it certainly wasn’t out of lack of talent. _Fuck_ , Shiro thought, the muscles in his thighs and abdomen tight as he tried his hardest not to thrust up into Keith’s hot, wet mouth. He wasn’t going to last, he wasn’t –

“Keith, babe,” he rasped, struggling to put two words together. “I’m, _ah_ , I’m gonna –”

Keith pulled off him, lips shiny with spit and precome, and shot him a teasing smirk.

“Isn’t that the point?” he teased as he slowly jerked him off.

“Wanna come inside you,” Shiro barely managed, driven wild by Keith’s ministrations.

He saw the moment his words hit Keith, the way his eyes widened slightly, how they grew dark with arousal. He licked his lips before moaning, “Shiro, fuck!”

Keith pushed himself to his feet, taking a moment to stretch his back before climbing into bed. Shiro joined him at the head of the bed, half pulling him onto his lap, one of Keith’s legs slung over his, to share a heated kiss, tasting himself on Keith’s tongue. He let his hands trail down to Keith’s bump, loving the way it felt under his hands before bringing his non-metal hand up to cup one of Keith’s small breasts, squeezing gently.

“Fuck,” Keith gasped softly.

Encouraged by the sound, Shiro dipped his head down, licking at Keith’s pert nipple, eliciting another soft sound from Keith’s lips as well as a full-body shudder.

As he sucked small marks into the tender, over-sensitive flesh, he let his hand trail down Keith’s belly, between his thighs.

“God, you’re so wet already,” Shiro moaned against Keith’s soft skin as he drew two fingers experimentally through the warm wetness of Keith’s folds. “Fuck, you’re such a mess.”

“Stop being so hot then,” Keith groaned, his muscles clenching as Shiro’s fingers continued to stroke him.

“Got a better idea,” Shiro teased, pushing Keith back onto the pillows then shuffling down his body before parting his creamy white thighs, keeping his eyes locked with Keith’s the whole time. “I think you’ll like it.”

“Oh,” was all Keith could manage before Shiro moved in, licking his way up from his pussy to his clit in one slow motion.

“Oh, _oh_ , Shiro!”

Encouraged by the noises Keith was making, Shiro settled between his thighs, arms hooked around his legs, and dove in, pressing his tongue to Keith’s opening, teasing him with short licks that were far from enough to satisfy his hunger.

As Keith squirmed and swore above him, Shiro let his tongue press inside his pussy, reveling in the sweet, musky taste of his lover. He could never get enough of it, it was intoxicating, the whole experience overwhelming. He let his tongue continue to explore Keith’s intimacy, switching between long, deep strokes that trailed up his labia to his clit and back again, sucking on the swollen head, and delving as deep as he could inside Keith’s wet pussy, trying to draw out all the sweet liquid he could.

It wasn’t long before Keith’s hand was in his hair, trying to pull him away.

“’M close, ‘m so fucking close, Shiro,” he moaned breathily.

But Shiro didn’t stop. He uncurled one of his arms from around Keith’s leg to bring his fingers to Keith’s clit in a gentle forward-backwards motion.

“Fuck!” Keith keened, his hand tightening in Shiro’s hair. “’M gonna come if you don’t stop.”

Shiro still didn’t stop, trying to lick even deeper inside Keith, his fingers caressing his clit in a circular motion, almost feverish with the need to bring Keith to the brink.

It didn’t take much after that before Keith was coming with a soft groan, his muscles clenching. Shiro greedily lapped up everything he could before pulling back. 

Keith… was a fucking mess, disheveled, skin flushed, one arm thrown above his head, his round belly heaving as he panted heavily. Shiro felt a jolt of electricity course up his spine. Keith looked so fucking hot like that, all wrecked because of _him_ , because of what he’d done.

“Thought you wanted to come inside me,” Keith barely managed a few moments later, eyes wild, still trying to get his breathing under control. He’d pushed himself up slightly on his arms to get a better look at Shiro.

Shiro smirked, glancing down at his erection before sending Keith a smoldering glance.

“I’m not done yet.”

Keith collapsed back against the pillows, one arm flung up to cover his eyes. “Fuck! You’re going to kill me at this rate, Shiro!” he moaned.

Shiro settled back down against the pillows, pulling Keith back into his arms and kissing him slowly as he let Keith catch his breath.

It wasn’t long before Keith was pushing him to lie on his back, straddling his hips and Shiro could see his cock poking out through Keith’s dark wet curls. Keith’s hips were moving in small back-and-forth movements and it felt so fucking good as he moved against Shiro’s cock. It was almost enough to override his concerns, but still, he needed to know.

“Are you sure?” he asked, drawing on the remnants of his patience to make sure Keith was comfortable.

Keith didn’t even answer, instead drawing himself up to guide the tip to his still-wet pussy, slowly sinking down on it with a soft moan. Shiro could only watch hungrily as his cock filled Keith’s wet warmth.

“God, _Keith_ , you feel so good,” Shiro groaned as Keith lost no time setting a slow rhythm.

Shiro lifted himself on his elbows to have a better view of Keith as he took his time. It was quite the sight to behold – still flushed from his earlier orgasm, sweaty bangs messily clinging to his forehead, deceptively slender thighs straining from the effort, hands gripping his heavy belly.

Unable to resist any longer, Shiro pushed himself up, pulling Keith into his arms as best as he could as he thrust upwards, driving his cock even further inside Keith, causing them both to moan. Keith wrapped his arms around him, fingers digging into the skin of his back sending jolts of pleasure racing down his spine.

As he fucked Keith, he sucked and bit marks up and down Keith’s neck, a primal urge to mark him, to claim him surging through his veins, the soft keening noises spilling from Keith’s lips urging him on.

“Shiro…”

“You’re mine,” Shiro groaned against his neck, rubbing his cheek up and down the warm skin like he couldn’t get enough of his scent. “I want the whole word to know that you belong to me.”

“Like they can’t tell from my belly, like they can’t see that you fucked me so good that now I’m full with your child.”

Shiro nipped at Keith’s neck, reveling in the sweet moan that filled his ears.

“’S not enough, never enough. I don’t want there to be any hesitation when they look at you.”

“Yeah, it’s just you, only ever you. Wanna be yours.”

“You are mine, baby, always have been, always will be. Just like I’m yours.”

“Ah fuck, Shiro,” Keith moaned desperately. “Of course you’re mine. I won’t let anyone else have you.”

Shiro felt his heart clench at Keith’s casual possessiveness and pulled him into another kiss, hot, wet, messy, more tongue and spit than an actual kiss, punctuated by Keith’s soft moans and Shiro’s groans, as he angled his thrusts to fill Keith’s warmth even more with his cock, aiming for the spot he knew made Keith see stars.

He felt rather than saw one of Keith’s warm hands trail down his chest, down his abdomen, down to where their bodies were coming together to rub his fingers against his clit, throwing his head back in pleasure. “Fuck, I’m so close Shiro.”

Before Shiro could do or say anything, he felt Keith’s muscles clench around his cock as Keith came with a soft cry, slumping into Shiro’s arms.

It didn’t take Shiro long before the overwhelming sensation of Keith’s tightness around his cock and the warm scent of Keith’s pliant body against his had him coming deep inside Keith’s pussy. Through the waves of pleasure, he made sure to hug Keith close, still concerned through the haziness that he might end up falling back into a weird position that would leave him with a backache. After that, everything faded to white and Shiro let himself go.

Sometime later, he woke up with a start, slightly confused as to where he was.

“Hey there, sleepy head,” came Keith’s fond voice from just above him, before a warm hand gently brushed through his hair.

Shiro’s brain finally engaged and he found himself lying on his side, curled up next to Keith’s soft, warm body. 

“Hey,” he replied groggily, stifling a yawn as he lifted himself up on one elbow. Keith was settled in his usual strategically-organized mess of pillows – the only way for him to get comfortable this far along in the pregnancy. Shiro brushed his still-sweaty bangs from his forehead. Keith’s cheeks were still dusted pink and he looked sated and happy.

Looking down, Keith seemed to be in the middle of scribbling something down. Maybe lyrics for a new song, Shiro thought. He always kept paper and a pen on hand in case inspiration struck. In fact, from experience, Shiro knew that Keith often felt inspired shortly after orgasm, sometimes barely even taking the time to recover, which, if Shiro was being honest (which he always was when it came to Keith), was one hell of an ego boost.

Keith must have noticed him staring because he smiled and handed Shiro the piece of paper. Shiro stared at it, unable to make sense of what was written in Keith’s neat handwriting or how the words formed lyrics. _Build cot, buy stroller, buy diapers…_ , what?

Keith huffed a small laugh and pulled Shiro closer so they could cuddle. One of Shiro’s hands went straight to Keith’s belly, as it always did, rubbing small circles into it. He didn’t know if their baby was awake or not, but he was hoping to catch a flutter of movement under the taut skin. “It’s a list of things we still need for the baby. I was feeling inspired.”

 _Oh._ That made a lot more sense.

Keith laughed again, the sound warming Shiro through and through, and kissed the top of his head. “Shiro, sweetheart, I love you, but you’re completely useless after sex.”

“’M not,” Shiro grumbled half-heartedly, knowing that Keith was right. “How long was I out for?”

“Not long, a few minutes?”

Shiro yawned again and stretched as best as he could without jostling Keith. The sticky, drying sweat on his body felt gross and he was pretty sure Keith was feeling the same. “Shower?”

Keith smiled at him. “Sure.”


	2. Chapter 2

One week after the end of their last-minute holiday, Shiro found himself in front of Keith’s mother’s home, stalling to the best of his ability in order to steal a few more precious moments with Keith.

They’d both decided, once Shiro had received the filming schedule for his upcoming movie, that it would probably be best for Keith to go and spend the time Shiro would be away for the filming with his mother. It made sense, really. Keith’s mother, Krolia, lived on the outskirts of a small town in the middle of nowhere called Marmora, surrounded by nothing but fields and trees and dirt paths. It was isolated, which was perfect. Keith could have his freedom and go on long walks with only Cosmo for company wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without worrying about being recognized. Plus, that way he wouldn’t be cooped up alone in the small house they shared, and if anything went wrong, there would be someone to help him.

Or, as Keith liked to put it, it stopped Shiro from fretting. And that was Keith showing restraint.

“This movie is a huge deal,” Keith had said, gentle but firm. “It’s going to be the turning point in your career. I don’t want you to fuck it up. Not because of me.”

Shiro knew deep down that Keith was right, knew that he was borderline overbearing at times. He tried to keep it to a bare minimum, but he couldn’t help it. Not where Keith was concerned. Keith was the most important person in his life. And while his pregnancy was going well, it was still far from a walk in the park, so he couldn’t help but worry. Then there was the fact that, while Keith was the one carrying the baby for the duration of his pregnancy, Shiro was the one who had gotten him pregnant and because of that, he felt a deep sense of responsibility, no matter what Keith said. _It takes two to tango,_ Shiro knew that, but he couldn’t shake the feeling, deep down, that he was responsible all the same.

It wasn’t even as if he didn’t think Keith was capable of taking care of himself – he _knew_ Keith was capable, probably better than anyone. And maybe sometimes Keith overdid it, who didn’t? Even then, it was never to the point of hurting himself or the baby (except for it usually resulting in back pain – but then, it seemed even a light breeze caused him back pain at times).

But Keith was fiercely independent, the result of his difficult childhood, forced to grow up too soon after the death of his father and being put into foster care. He didn’t need anybody because nobody had been there for him when he needed it.

Still, he put up with most of Shiro’s worrying without much of a fight. Shiro suspected that he actually liked being fussed over, but that he was still scared to let himself get used to it in case it was taken from him.

“Call me when you get back, ok?”

Keith’s quiet voice jolted him from his thoughts.

“What, trying to get rid of me already?” Shiro joked.

“Yes.”

Shiro laughed, causing Keith’s deadpan expression to melt into a playful smile.

“But seriously,” Keith continued, “you’ve got an early start tomorrow. You need to get some rest before then.”

“Ten AM isn’t early, Keith.”

“It is for you.”

“Touché.”

“The sooner you get home, the sooner you can relax.”

“Five more minutes,” Shiro mock-whined, wrapping his arms around Keith.

He knew Keith was rolling his eyes as him, he could just feel it.

“Five more minutes,” he finally conceded, melting into the embrace and hugging Shiro back.

Shiro turned his head and buried his nose in Keith’s thick black hair, inhaling deeply. After this, he had to go three whole weeks, if all went well, without seeing or touching Keith and he could already feel a pang of longing. He felt his heart clench at the thought of being apart and pressed a kiss to the crown of Keith’s head.

“I’m going to miss you,” he said softly. “Our baby too, of course. And Cosmo. But you especially.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Keith murmured back. “But it’ll be over before we know it and then we can just focus on getting everything ready for the baby.”

“Assuming he or she doesn’t arrive early.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Keith warned.

“Sorry.” He paused briefly before continuing. “Promise you’ll be careful.”

“I promise,” Keith said. “You be careful too, ok?”

“Promise.” Shiro pulled back slightly so he could see Keith’s face. “I love you.”

Keith’s cheeks grew pink and he briefly averted his gaze before looking back up at Shiro, still a bit shy every time Shiro said those words. It was adorable and it made Shiro’s heart clench every time. “I love you too,” he said softly before leaning in to kiss Shiro sweetly.

They kept exchanging gentle kisses, unhurried and unaware of their surroundings, until Shiro felt something nudge at his leg and heard a soft whine. He looked down and laughed.

“Hey, Cosmo,” he said, scratching Cosmo between the ears. “I think someone’s jealous.”

Keith huffed a small laugh. “I think he’s trying to tell you that it’s time for you to leave.”

Shiro feigned a pout, barely suppressing a smile. “Oh, is that so? What makes you so sure that’s what he’s saying?”

“He was my dog first. I’ve known him since he was a puppy. I think that makes me the expert here.”

Keith bit his lip to hide his smile, but his eyes were sparkling. Shiro was doomed, how was he supposed to survive a whole three weeks without _this_ , the easy banter, the gentle teasing?

“I just think it’s awfully convenient that he just so happens to be saying that it’s time for me to leave when you’ve been trying to get me to go for the last five minutes.”

“What can I say?” Keith said with a casual shrug. “Like master, like dog. I always knew Cosmo was smart.”

Shiro laughed again. “God, I love you so much.”

At this, Keith’s unaffected expression melted into a brilliant smile, taking Shiro’s hands in his own and squeezing. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. He let the moment stretch on a little longer before squeezing Keith’s hands back and sighing.

“You’re right, I should get going. C’mere, you,” he said, pulling Keith into another hug, breathing in his warm scent deeply. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Shiro heard Keith sniffle wetly and pulled back. Keith looked up at him with wet eyes.

“Oh, baby,” Shiro started.

“Sorry,” he said, wiping his eyes furiously with his sleeve. “Hormones. I’m fine.”

“Keith…”

“I’m fine, Shiro,” Keith said, gentle, but firm as he smiled up at him. His eyes were still wet but the tears were gone and the smile he gave him was warm and genuine.

“Promise you’ll call me if you’re not ok,” Shiro said. “Even if it’s three AM, I don't care. Even if you’re ok and you just want to talk.”

“I promise. Promise you’ll take care of yourself and not fret too much. Call me if you have a nightmare or a flashback or whatever and need to talk. And don’t worry about waking me up or whatever. Just call.”

“I promise.”

“You’d better.”

They smiled at each other. Shiro knew that he should take a step back, that he should get ready to leave, but he couldn’t help it. He loved Keith so much, he didn’t want to leave. Not now, not ever.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around Keith’s midsection, pressing his cheek to the swell of his belly, trying to postpone the moment he had to leave just a bit longer. Just a bit longer.

“And you,” he said, speaking to their unborn child, “promise you’ll be good for your father. Don’t keep him up too late. I love you so much.”

One of Keith’s hands came to rest on his head, his thumb gently caressing his hair.

“We’ll be fine, Shiro. And mom bought like a ton of ice cream and terrible movies so I'm all set.”

Finally, Shiro pressed a kiss to Keith’s belly before getting to his feet.

“Right, I’m off now. For real, this time,” he said, brushing the dirt from his knees.

“You’re going to do great, Shiro,” Keith said, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, sweet and lingering.

Shiro smiled, forcing down the urge to kiss Keith again, knowing that he’d never leave if he did, then leaned down to pet Cosmo.

“You be a good boy,” he said. “Take care of your dad for me.”

And with that, he turned to walk to his car, ignoring the way his heart was already aching. He opened the door and turned one last time to look at Keith, the love of his life, his best friend. Keith waved at him and Shiro waved back before getting into his car and starting the long drive home.

* * *

The day that everything changed in their lives started out in such a boring, normal fashion that it would have been impossible to guess that anything was going to happen.

They’d just wrapped up filming, and – barring any reshoots – they were mostly done until the press tour for the movie started. The whole cast and crew were planning to get together to celebrate later that evening. Shiro was back in the camper van they’d lent him for the duration of the shoot to get a bit of a rest.

He stared at his phone. He’d sent Keith a message earlier, around eleven that morning. Nothing much, just a heart emoji because he wanted to talk to him but had absolutely nothing to say. It wasn’t like Keith to not have answered by then, but he figured he was probably busy. Maybe his mom had taken him shopping for more baby clothes (that they really, _really_ didn’t need, but they were all so cute, none of them could resist buying more) or maybe they’d gone somewhere for the afternoon. It was no cause for concern. He could manage without hearing from Keith for a few hours. Not that that would stop him from obsessively checking his phone, of course, but he could manage.

He scrolled back up through their message history, a fond smile tugging at his lips. The last three weeks had been hard. Probably harder on Keith, Shiro thought, as he at least had the movie shoot and castmates to keep him busy. It had been an amazing experience, and Shiro wouldn’t change it for anything, but he had missed Keith so much more than he’d even thought possible.

 _Two more days,_ he thought giddily. Two more day until he got to see Keith, to hold him in his arms, to smell that familiar, soothing scent, to feel their baby again.

He was also impatient to see how Keith had changed. His body had changed a lot and rapidly during the course of the pregnancy and Shiro found it amazing. Not that they hadn’t exchanged selfies and video calls during their separation, but Shiro knew he’d look a bit different in person. He was getting close to his due date, almost exactly a month from then. The shooting was cutting it a bit closer than he would have liked, but Keith wouldn’t have any of it.

Just as Shiro was going to start getting ready for the party, he got a call. His heart jumped for a second, thinking it was Keith, but it wasn’t. It was Krolia.

Shiro frowned, a bit confused. While Krolia and he were on good terms, they didn’t really contact each other except for birthdays and other important events.

Shiro didn’t know very much about her. He’d been dating Keith for a year and a half when Keith had called him after his shift at the coffee shop to tell him that he thought that he may have found his birth mother and that he didn’t really know what to do (though the last part went unsaid).

At first, he’d been… a mixture of happy and angry. Happy, because this was something that meant a lot to Keith, and angry because, well… Where had she been when Keith was growing up, shuffled from home to home?

To this day, he still didn’t know very much. All he knew was that two days after reconnecting on Facebook, Keith had met his mother in person and come back exhausted but smiling, a box of unsent letters under his arm. Shiro hadn’t pressed him for details, knowing that Keith would tell him when he was ready, but he did know two things:

1- she had been on a mission undercover for a long time  
2- Keith’s knife, the only possession that had ever mattered to him, had been hers

Still, none of that explained why she was calling, and why now? Was there something wrong with Keith or the baby?

A bit concerned, Shiro swiped to answer. “Hello?”

“Shiro?” came Krolia’s voice. There was something about her voice that had Shiro on edge. She didn’t sound calm like she usually did.

“What is it? Are Keith and the baby ok?”

“They’re fine, don’t worry.”

Shiro let out a silent sigh of relief. But then, why was she calling?

“Have you seen the news?” she asked before Shiro could ask.

“No.”

“So no one’s told you?”

“Told me what?” Shiro asked, starting to feel concerned again. He didn’t like the way this was going. “What news?”

There was a sigh on the other end of the line, followed by a short silence while Krolia gathered her words.

“Someone took pictures of you two on your holiday and they just leaked today.”

For a moment, Shiro’s mind went blank, unable to comprehend what he was hearing.

“Pictures?”

“You and Keith on the beach. I sent you a link.”

Realization dawned on him in a sudden, terrible moment. He felt like a block of ice drop in his gut. _Oh no, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. Not now._

“You mean they know about us and the baby?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Keith now? Can I talk to him?”

“He went out with Cosmo. I told him he should call you, but I think he needs time to process this.”

That… explained why he hadn’t answered Shiro’s text, Shiro thought, heart heavy.

“I’ll call you back, Krolia. Right now, I really need to talk to Keith.”

He didn’t even let her answer before cutting the call. A tiny part of him whispered that he was being rude, that this wasn’t Krolia’s fault, but he ignored it. He could apologize later when he’d made sure Keith was ok.

He called Keith but after a few rings, it went to his voicemail. Undeterred, Shiro tapped his number again, but once again it went to voicemail.

He was just about to call him again when his phone notified him of an incoming video call from Keith. He hurriedly accepted it and relief washed over him as he was _finally_ able to set eyes on him.

“Baby,” he started, not entirely sure what to say now that he knew Keith was there.

“Shiro…” Keith clearly didn’t know what to say either and they just stared at each other for a moment.

Keith looked terrible. He looked pale and exhausted. Shiro could tell that he was pulling out all the tricks he knew to appear calm and collected, but he still looked tense. He should be there, with Keith. Shiro wasn’t entirely sure where he was, but it looked like he was somewhere down by the small stream that flowed through the woods a short walk from his mother’s home.

“Have you seen them?” Keith finally asked him, his voice firm.

“Not yet. Is it bad?”

“Yeah.” Keith’s voice went quiet and emotionless. “It’s us on the beach that one evening. You know, when you chased me there?”

Shiro felt a powerful stab of guilt at those words. That evening… That evening, he remembered how happy and carefree he’d felt, and he remembered specifically deciding to forgo his snapback and shades because he thought it would be fine. And now…

“Baby, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It is, I should have been more careful. I should have known better.”

“It’s not your fault,” Keith repeated, finally a flare of emotion sparking in his words. “They have no right to take pictures of us like that.”

“Still–”

“No,” Keith said just as fiercely. “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you.”

“Keith…”

Keith sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What are we going to do now?” he asked, shifting the topic of conversation.

“I… I don’t know, Keith,” Shiro admitted, letting the previous subject drop.

“I don’t know either.”

Silence stretched between them for a moment, but it was not comfortable like it usually was. Neither of them knew what to say or do, and it was making things awkward. Shiro hated it, he hated the paparazzi for putting them in this situation.

“Are you ok?” he finally asked.

Keith just shrugged, which was much more honest a response than he’d expected. “You?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Another silence, just as awkward.

Then Shiro was hit by the need to be with Keith, a need so strong that it left him reeling.

“I’m coming to find you,” he said.

“What?” Keith asked, surprised at Shiro’s sudden outburst.

“I just have a few things to pack and then I can leave. I’ll be with you in less than six hours.”

“What? Shiro, no,” Keith said, a look of concern crossing his face. “What about the party?”

“I don’t care.”

“You’ve been looking forward to it for days now!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Shiro replied. It was the truth. Nothing mattered anymore, he needed to see Keith, to be with him, to comfort him. He needed to feel Keith’s arms around him to calm him, to drive away the worry that was starting to consume him.

“Shiro…”

“Even if I did go, how do you expect me to enjoy it when all I can think of is this mess?”

Keith sighed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, baby, it’s not your fault.”

“I know, but it’s just… You worked so hard, you deserve to have fun, and now…”

“It’s going to be ok, Keith,” Shiro said with a confidence he didn’t feel. “We’ll figure it out, one way or another.”

“I know, it’s just…”

“Yeah, I know.”

They smiled at each other, the awkwardness fading between them.

“I gotta go, baby,” Shiro finally said. “I need to pack and sort a few things out. I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah, see you soon,” Keith said, still smiling at him. “And drive carefully. The last thing we need is an accident.”

“Maybe we could use that to sue whoever leaked those shots for psychological damage, like I was so upset I got into an accident, and get a nice settlement from them?”

Keith frowned at him. “Don’t even joke about that.”

Shiro grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, just drive safely.”

“I will, I promise. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

It didn’t take long for Shiro to grab what little belongings he had brought with him and stuff them into his bags. However, it took more time than Shiro wanted to explain why he had to leave so quickly just as they were about to go out and celebrate. Still, it didn’t take much explaining before they understood that he wasn’t being a snob, that it was an emergency of sorts.

Most of the cast and crew were able to assemble on such short notice, giving Shiro enough time to say his goodbyes, hug everyone, and thank them from the bottom of his heart for the wonderful experience. It felt wrong to just leave the way he was. He really had been looking forward to the party, but things were different now. They all wished him good luck and promised that if he needed anything, he just had to ask. They were like a family now and it warmed Shiro’s heart.

Before leaving, he checked his phone again out of reflex. There were three missed calls, a voicemail and finally, a text from Coran. The text simply read “call me back when you can”. He felt bad about ignoring Coran, but right now, his priority was Keith. He needed to be there for him, like he’d promised he would. Coran and he could work on damage control afterwards, once he’d talked to Keith and figured out what they were going to do.

Shiro didn’t remember most of the drive, too busy going over the issue again and again, trying to come up with a solution or a band aid or something, _anything_ to make things better. He tried to put off stopping as long as he could, worried that he’d be recognized and make things worse, but he really needed to stop. He needed coffee and sugar and fresh air, and the car needed gas.

The gas station was pretty empty when he made it, small miracles, but he still pushed his cap down and hunched his shoulders up to cover his face as much as possible.

Five minutes later, he was leaning against his car, a cup of too-hot coffee with far too much sugar in one hand, his phone in the other. There was another missed call from Coran, but he ignored it again. Hopefully he would understand.

For a moment, his thumb hovered over Keith’s contact details, itching to call him, but he decided against it. He was just over two hours away and Keith probably needed time to collect himself.

Instead, he found the message Krolia had sent him, clicked the link and finally checked the pictures for himself. He felt his blood boil as they loaded one after the other. _How dare they?_ How dare they take such an intimate moment and sell it to the world?

Keith looked so happy and carefree and very pregnant in those pictures and they both looked ridiculously in love. He remembered that evening clearly, the happy memory forever tainted now, but he didn’t remember seeing anyone that looked like they were taking pictures. How could he have missed that?

He closed the tab and opened a new one immediately, typing “Shirogane Keith relationship baby” into google to see how bad the damage was.

It was pretty bad, that much he could tell. He took a sip of his coffee, scalding his tongue in the process. It didn’t matter, he was going to need a lot of coffee and the sooner he could get it into his body, the better.

Most of the articles at this point were from tabloids and most of the articles, as a result, were painful to read, full of speculation and rumors. They were all accompanied by the same few photos of uncannily high quality, one of Keith before Shiro had arrived, one hand cradling his belly as he looked down fondly at it, one of them kissing on the beach as the warm orange glow of the setting sun enveloped them, one of them all entwined together as they made their way back to their hotel, looking ridiculously in love with each other, and a few other, less revealing pictures depending on the site.

Shiro always knew that the more famous he became, the worse the paparazzi would get. But still, there was no preparing for an invasion of privacy of _this_ magnitude. And the articles just made things worse, intentionally or not.

Shiro didn’t even know where to start or what to do. How was he going to fix this? Well, standing around a half-empty gas station as his mind went over the same information over and over again definitely wasn’t going to help. He finished his coffee, tossed the paper cup in the bin, and got back in his car.

They’d figure something out eventually. He knew they would. They had to.

* * *

He reached Krolia’s house just as the last rays of daylight were disappearing over the horizon. He’d spent the whole drive focusing on the road, keeping his head deliberately blank, so when he arrived, he was strangely calm and relaxed.

Someone must have heard him arriving because as soon as he got out of the car, the front door opened and Cosmo came bounding out, energetic as ever. He jumped up excitedly at Shiro over and over again, almost toppling him over.

“Hey, Cosmo,” Shiro laughed through the onslaught. “I missed you too.”

Once Cosmo was satisfied with the attention he’d received, he trotted back to the house where Keith was waiting, leaning against the frame of the front door.

It wasn’t long before Shiro was standing in front of Keith, pulling him into a tight hug, swaying slightly to a silent beat. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting the familiar scent of Keith wash over him. He was _home_.

“I missed you so much,” he murmured. Only with Keith did he ever feel comfortable enough to say exactly what was on his mind.

Keith didn’t respond. He didn’t need to, really. Shiro knew.

He leaned forward, cradling Shiro’s cheeks in his hands, and caught his lips in a sweet, welcome home kiss that had Shiro feeling like he was floating.

They parted, and Shiro leaned in to rest his forehead against Keith’s, eyes still closed. He knew they couldn’t ignore the world for long, but Shiro wanted to savor this moment with Keith, before everything changed for them.

“Did you eat?” Keith asked eventually, pulling back.

“Couldn’t, too worried.”

Keith gave him a sympathetic smile. “I made sandwiches, if you want.”

The kitchen was as good a place as any to discuss what they were going to do.

“Sounds good,” he said, following Keith to the kitchen.


End file.
